Istālif weather in February

In February, Istālif sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -12°C, with 101 mm of precipitation across 8.9 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about -2°C in the first days to 1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in February, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 18 min at the start of February to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Istālif's 10th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Istālif's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-12°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
101 mm
8.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
6:47 AM – 5:29 PM
Cloud cover
47%
10th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about -2°C in the first days to 1°C by the end.

A typical February day in Istālif reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -12°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -5°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, February runs about 1°C warmer than January and about 6°C cooler than March.

-20°-10°10°151015202528
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-2-13
2-2-13
3-2-13
4-2-13
5-2-13
6-2-13
7-2-12
8-2-12
9-2-12
10-2-12
11-1-12
12-1-12
13-1-12
14-1-12
15-1-12
16-1-11
17-1-11
180-11
190-11
200-11
210-11
220-10
230-10
241-10
251-10
261-10
271-10
281-10

How February really feels in Istālif

Once humidity and wind are folded in, February averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 28 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
28
28 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in February is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Istālif weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -14°727.57.99.90.0
Feb-1° / -12°1018.99.110.70.0
Mar / -6°128118.611.70.3
Apr12° / 14913.92.912.93.1
May19° / 13915.9013.85.5
Jun24° / 10°367.3014.37.9
Jul28° / 14°142.4014.18.3
Aug27° / 13°91.9013.38.5
Sep23° / 203.9012.28.6
Oct16° / 416.60.211.15.7
Nov / -4°546.93.810.21.7
Dec / -11°465.95.89.70.0

Cloud cover in February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in February.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25941
35941
45842
55842
65842
75842
85842
95842
105842
115842
125842
135842
145842
155941
165941
175941
185941
196040
206040
215941
225941
235842
245842
255842
265842
275842
285842

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitationSnow

Istālif gets around 101 mm of rain and snow over 8.9 wet days in February. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 32% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202528
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13132
23133
33233
43233
53233
63233
73233
83233
93233
103233
113232
123132
133132
143131
153131
163131
173131
183131
193131
203132
213132
223232
233233
243333
253333
263434
273434
283434

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of February feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, February lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100

Wind in February

Winds average 6 km/h in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202528
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 18 min at the start of February to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 6:59 AM to 6:33 AM, and sunset from 5:15 PM to 5:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.36:595:15
210.36:585:16
310.36:585:17
410.46:575:18
510.46:565:19
610.46:555:20
710.46:555:21
810.56:545:22
910.56:535:23
1010.56:525:24
1110.66:515:25
1210.66:505:26
1310.66:495:27
1410.76:485:28
1510.76:475:29
1610.76:465:30
1710.86:455:31
1810.86:445:32
1910.86:435:33
2010.96:425:34
2110.96:415:35
2210.96:405:36
2311.06:395:37
2411.06:385:38
2511.06:365:39
2611.16:355:40
2711.16:345:40
2811.16:335:41

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 4.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.3 kWh/m² to a high of 8.03 kWh/m² in June across the year — February's 4.61 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Bright
24.1Bright
34.1Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.4Bright
104.4Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
Planning a trip in February

Hazard calendar for Istālif

In seasonPeak

In February, Istālif sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Istālif's rainy season runs January–May, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is February a good time to visit Istālif?

Our two travel scores rate February for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

February is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Istālif.

What to pack for Istālif in February

From February's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In February, Istālif sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -12°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protection

UV index in Istālif in February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Istālif peaks around June 16 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 16UV 12Jan 10UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5High
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Istālif in February

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where February falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Istālif is worst in February — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 16 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateFeb 830 µg/m³Oct 1016 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb30Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec26Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Istālif?

Istālif sits at 34.8°N, 69.1°E, 1,891 m above sea level, in Afghanistan. The nearest listed city is Charikar, 22 km away.

Baraki BarakMehtar LāmBāmyān

Topography around Istālif

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Istālif.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Istālif has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 797 m around an average of 1,906 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,025 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,203 m.

The land around Istālif is covered by bare terrain (34%) within 3 km, cropland (35%), bare terrain (30%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (48%) and grassland (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
797 m
16 km
3,025 m
80 km
4,203 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
February weather nearby: Charikar 22 km · Paghmān 30 km · Jabal os Saraj 35 km · Kabul 35 km · Bāzārak 67 km · Baraki Barak 97 km · Mehtar Lām 105 km · Bāmyān 114 km

Afghanistan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 17% of US
price level, 2024
GDP per capita
$417
2024
Happiness
1.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
31%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
4
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
15.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 446
Religion
Muslim 100%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Istālif (34.8327°, 69.0776°, elevation 1,891 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).